The ever-present threat of a North Korean invasion has always been a huge factor in advancing South Korean technology. This Spring a South Korean jail in the city of Pohang will be getting a shipment of guard robots to make life easier for their flesh and blood counterparts.

These security 'bots are probably the exact opposite of what one would imagine, with no miniguns, rockets or lasers. They are 5 feet tall, move on four wheels and have a friendly face. The designers intend for this unit to look friendly to the inmates to prevent riots and other kinds of disobedience.

These robotic security guards are intended to work with the human guards, as opposed to replacing them. They can go on patrol at night and detect inmate violence, suicide attempts and are equipped with a torso-mounted two-way video communication system that will allow it to double as a mobile video communication terminal.

The robots are expected to start work in March 2012, spending a month at Pohang's prison. According to the Asian Forum for Corrections, the project's budget is roughly $864,000.

Robots have already become commonplace in manufacturing and some other fields, so there is no reason this technology won't catch on internationally, especially in Japan.